1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety running system in which an object is detected with an object detection means such as a laser radar, and in which when it is judged that there is a probability of a subject vehicle's coming into contact with the object so detected, a braking system of the subject vehicle is automatically actuated in order to avoid such a contact.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle safety running system is already known wherein the relative distance and relative speed of an object such as a preceding vehicle running in the same lane as that where a subject vehicle runs are detected with an object detection means such as a laser radar, millimeter wave radar and CCD camera, and wherein if there is estimated a probability of the subject vehicle's coming into contact with the object so detected, an alarm means is actuated to try to force the driver to take a voluntary contact avoidance operation with an automatic braking device being actuated so as to avoid the probable contact of the subject vehicle with the object, or even if there is occurring a contact therebetween, the alarm means and the automatic braking device so actuated cooperate to reduce a damage to a minimum level.
Incidentally, when the driver voluntarily performs an steering operation while automatic braking is in operation so as to avoid a probable contact, such a steering operation would result in a problem of interference with the automatic braking in operation, thereby making it difficult to effectively avoid the contact or making the driver experience a feeling of physical disorder. For instance, in a case where a probable contact can be avoided by a steering operation by the driver, if automatic braking is allowed to continue to be in operation, the driver will be forced to experience a strong feeling of physical disorder. On the contrary, if the automatic braking is cancelled in a state in which a probable contact cannot be avoided by a steering operation by the driver and therefore there is no other way but to rely on the automatic braking, the automatic braking is thus not permitted to fully exhibit its effectiveness.